What is 5S program? Know how to deploy into your company

The 5s Program is seen as one of the main methodologies developed to assist the structuring process of an organization. With it, it is possible for the organization to offer a more organized, safe and clean environment, which will contribute to the results and quality of the processes.

The 5S Program relates to one of the main philosophies of the organizational world, Lean Six Sigma, because it is a lean process and aims, through changes in the organizational system, to increase results, reduce errors and make the entire production process increasingly optimized.

The promotion of more efficient cultural habits and values ​​has never been as important in the business setting as it is today. It is through more sustainable practices that a company's employees feel more engaged in fulfilling their responsibilities with more commitment and satisfaction. For this, we have 5S program.

The 5S program - also known as Housekeeping - has Japanese origin and brings both simplicity and efficiency to a work environment and all employees involved. It is related from the factory floor and production lines to administrative offices, meeting rooms and industrial canteens.

Although it was developed several years ago after World War II, this tool is still a powerful alternative to promoting better performance and more effective corporate results through leaner, simpler and more organized processes.

In this guide, you will understand the essence of encouraging the cultural sustainability of a business, understand what 5S is and what each sense of the technique represents, and also check out the 4 steps for implementing the 5S program in an organization.

In this article, we have separated topics full of information about the 5S Program, its operation, implementation and curiosities. Check it out!

• What is the 5S Program?
• What are the 4 objectives of the 5S Program?
• How does sustainability relate to the 5S Program?
• What does 5S mean?
• What is the 5S Program and what is its importance?
• What is the relationship of the 5S Program with Lean Philosophy?
• 4 steps to 5S Program deployment
• Do you want to learn more about the Lean Six Sigma?

Ready?

What is the 5S Program?

The 5S Program is a quality program that aims to improve the work environment and productivity, based on five senses:

1. sort;
2. set in order;
3. shine;
4. standardize;
5. sustain.

These five senses come from the original Japanese words

• seiri - sort - organize;
• seiton - set in order - orderliness;
• seiso - shine - cleanliness;
• seiketsu - standardize;
• shitsuke - sustain .

We will see the applications of these senses later.

Returning to the 5S Program, it can be considered as a lean tool that has a basic objective to promote a systemic order of the operation of a process in a work environment.

It ranges from office layouts and the organization and maintenance of furniture and materials, to the availability of electronic data and information on a computer.

Focused on continuous improvement, it is a participatory program, being a tool to educate people in an easy, simple and effective way inside and outside the work environment.

Do you know the best of everything? The 5S program brings immediate and lasting results to the company.

Lean Six Sigma is a methodology that seeks to increase the profitability of companies through the improvement of their processes.

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What are the 4 objectives of the 5S Program?

Briefly, we can say that the great goal of the 5S program is to increase productivity and improve results. To achieve this goal, the program will be developed in four different areas with specific objectives in each of them: , Staff, Company, Security and Processes.

1. Staff

• Develop teamwork;
• Optimize time;
• Increase productivity.

2. Company

• Facilitate internal storage;
• Improve the company image;
• Eliminate waste.

3. Security

• Increase safety;
• Reduce accidents at work.

4. Processes

• Optimize and rationalize processes;
• Increase efficiency.

How does sustainability relate to the 5S Program?

The adoption of more sustainable business practices based on the 5S program results in more predictable and efficient processes, more confident and motivated employees, and more competitive and high added value products.

Through its implementation, a company achieves greater ease to execute its operations and make decisions and, as a consequence, to obtain standardized products assuring the satisfaction of its clients.

What does 5S mean?

1. Seiri

The first sense of the 5S program means "sort." The first action suggested by the program methodology is to define what is vital for use and what is not needed.

All kinds of resources involved in an operation should be raised, such as: machines, equipment, materials, tools and so on.

Through this survey, we will then evaluate which resources are needed and add value to the process and which of them are not accurate and can be discarded or destined to another area or more convenient sector.

2. Seiton

The second sense of 5S means "set in order." Based on the materials evaluated as necessary for use in the first sense, this S of the program aims to classify and give order of use for each included resource. Standardizing the quantity and location where each material is to be collected or sought by a collaborator is the task of this second sense.

3. Seiso

The third sense of the 5S program means "shine". It aims to facilitate cleaning in a work environment. To do this, it requires that instead of cleaning, rather, it is necessary to pay attention to the motive of the dirt, so that preventive solutions can be made to eliminate or at least reduce the need for such activity.

Organized and clean workplaces generate less stress for the employees involved, who in turn can perform their activities more efficiently and accurately.

4. Seiketsu

The fourth sense of 5S means "standardize". Its main purpose is to standardize the operation procedure of the activities and responsibilities of a process or sector.

In addition, it also aims to ensure the establishment of conditions conducive for employees related to this process or industry to comply adequately and in a manner that is safe and respectful of the rules and standards of conduct imposed.

5. Shitsuke

The fifth sense of 5S means "sustain." The mission of the latter S is to make it cultural and customary for the collaborators to practice the actions recommended in the previous senses.

Running all the activities suggested by the 5S program overnight is one thing, now, ensuring that its compliance is respected over the years and even decades is another context, is not it?

To make sure that the employment of the senses is acted on a daily basis in the company, the full understanding of its importance and the need for its commitment by the whole team is vital.

What is the 5S Program and what is its importance?

The 5S Program, when applied correctly, is capable of offering the organization improvement results in several areas. Generally, long and time-consuming processes influence the quality of work, professional performance and production cost.

From this, it is possible to realize that the 5S Program is used as a restorative action of such situations, so that after its implementation, it is possible to observe changes within the organization, in general.

The 5S Program offers the opportunity to have the organizational culture of the company modified, going through continuous improvement processes, also one of the pillars of the Lean methodology.

Improving process quality, environment organization, employee performance, reduction of failures and harmful processes for production are one of the pillars of the 5S Program and its implementation can significantly increase the results of an organization.

What is the relationship of the 5S Program with Lean Philosophy?

Within the 5S Program, some objectives are outlined and relate directly to the Lean Six Sigma philosophy.

The search for lean processes that offer the organizational culture of the company an understanding of how to harm time-consuming and long processes, with constant errors and failures are pillars of the Lean methodology, and which are also applied within the 5S Program.

For organizations, correctly applying the 5S Program is extremely beneficial, especially in environments where Lean culture is already present. Thus, it is possible to apply in general all the concepts covered in it, offering a process of continuous improvement and increase of organizational results.

4 steps to 5S Program deployment

1. Propagation

Awareness, this is the first step in the implementation of the 5S program in an organization.

Through dissemination resources, such as lectures, posters, memoranda, presentations, meetings and even weekly security dialogues.

It is very important to make clear to all employees of the company the importance of complying with the 5 senses that will be implemented and the gains expected with the implementation of this program.

2. Preparation

The preparation stage aims to divide the implementation of the 5S program into smaller parts.

Perhaps a clerk in a strictly administrative sector is not best suited to manage the deployment of 5S in a manufacturing operation - and vice versa.

Therefore, separating those responsible for implementing the program across the enterprise is the task at this stage.

3. Implementation

This step begins with the sequence of 5S seen here in the article - sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. In each of the company sectors included, its implementation should consider 5 perspectives of performance: layout (physical arrangement), machinery and equipment, instruments, documents and administrative accessories.

4. Maintenance

The last stage of implementation of the 5S program is intended to ensure compliance with all new requirements imposed, so that the organization, cleanliness and order conquered are being respected daily.

The use of internal audits and the continued use of disclosure resources to promote awareness among all members of a company is very important here.

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